The ayes have it, and the bill will be placed on our First Reading Calendar today. The next order of business is consideration of the Calendar. I note that the bills just reported from committee have been deemed to have had a Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 2ND READING first reading. These bills will be placed on our Second Reading and Final Passage Calendar at our next session of Council. As there are no additional bills on the First Reading Calendar today, the Chair recognizes Councilman Jones for the purpose of calling up bills and resolutions on the Final Passage Calendar today.
Thank you, Mr. President. The following resolutions and bills are being called up from Second Reading and Final Passage Calendars today: Nos. 150517, 150518, 150519, 150266, 150275, and 150276. All other resolutions and bills are being held.
Thank you. Before considering these bills and resolutions, we will have our public comment session. The public comment session will go as follows: If you have not already done Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 so, you have to sign up at the table to my left. There's a sheet. Your name will be called to testify on a bill or resolution. It must be on the Final Passage Calendar today. You will go to the podium in the middle of the Council Chambers. There's a device on that podium. When the light turns green, it's your time to speak. When the light turns yellow, you will have 30 seconds to conclude your remarks. When the light turns red, we ask that you please adhere to the guidelines and conclude your remarks. You will be given three minutes to testify when your name is called. I do want to make one note. There is a particular bill that is on the Final Passage Calendar today that has a significant number of individuals to testify on that bill. That is Bill No. 150406. That is a bill to acquire property for purposes of building a prison. I do want to note that the Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 sponsor of the bill has held the bill. That bill will not be voted on today. (Applause.)
So I'm going to ask if, because of the time associated with the testimony, if you still feel the need to testify, I'd ask if you could make your remarks relatively short, because I'm assuming you'll have another opportunity when the bill is in fact -- if it in fact will be heard. Because we have a number of individuals on that. We also have a number of individuals that want to testify on another matter, if that's okay with you. If you can either not testify because it's not going to be voted today or if you're going to testify, if you can kind of accelerate your testimony a little bit. Thank you for your cooperation. Mr. Decker, you want to call the first name on the list.
Ali H. Johnson, Jr. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
Good morning. I'm going to be representing Ali H. Johnson, Jr. He's not able to be here today.
My name is Ali H. Johnson, Jr. I am a student at Powel Elementary School in Philadelphia, PA. I'm testifying on the cursive bill as it relates to supporting Philadelphia students. Our public schools need $105 million. If our schools do not get this money, we will lose valuable programs like art, music, and dance. We need the Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 arts because creativity is important and art, music, and dance help us to express ourselves. At Powel School, we use art to learn about different countries and history. We have made great pottery and used art to display Greek mythology. At school I play the violin. I enjoy it very much. I would hate not to play because you did not choose to put money in the budget for arts. Playing the violin has helped me to be a well-rounded student and it's helping me to be responsible and successful. Today we are bringing you tools to build better schools that have art and music programs for all students. Thanks for listening. And also the Workshop School would like to say something. The Workshop School would also like to say programs for the arts also keeps kids off streets and working diligently for something that matters. Our future Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 matters. We matter. Thanks for listening.
I just want to make clear, because the last speaker spoke on a measure that was not on the Final Passage. Are you speaking on what? What bill?
And that's in reference to the acquisition of land for a prison?
That's not on the Calendar today for Final Passage. You have to -- the Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 subject matter -- let's me explain.
No. Let me explain. So in order to have public comment, you have to speak on a bill or a resolution that's on the Final Passage Calendar today. There is no bill or resolution on the Final Passage Calendar today for school funding. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Council President Clarke, could we speak for 30 seconds about what was to be the prison bill? We changed it in hopes that we could speak about the cursive bill.
You come in every week and you segue into issues that are not -UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Well, I was just here today. So we're hoping we can get 30 seconds.
But it's not -- I'm just saying, it's not on -- there will be an opportunity for Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 you to come to speak on school bills, school funding bills, trust me. There will be. But if you come in and you use a bill that's not related to the matter, it's just not adhering to the rules. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We understand.
So I would respectfully ask that you, one, stop doing that, because I've been kind of real liberal on that and you guys come in every week and you talk about something that's not on the agenda, and I've been -- but it would be helpful if you kind of like maybe today kind of go along with the rules, please. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Okay. Well, this is our last student for today.
I'm sorry? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: This is the only other student for today, if that's okay.
Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 Okay. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Thank you.
My name is Keyshawn Strand. I'm a 9th grade student at the Workshop School and today I'm going to give a testimony on behalf of a student at Powel Elementary School in Philadelphia, PA. I am here today to testify on Bill 150518 essentially relating to supporting students. This money will go a long way. As schools invest in education today will mean that more students will succeed and less people will go to prison. The School District of Philadelphia needs $105 million so that kids like me can get a quality education and experience different types of art in schools. Arts are important to schools. Arts are important to me, because if we Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 did not have art, schools and life would not be as interesting. Art is important to me because it helps people communicate with each other. I also think art is important because when I learn skills with an art connection, I don't forget them. Some of the things that we have done at Powel and in our community to engage youth in art are working with pottery, paper mache, painting, drama, and instrumental performance, as well as print making. Skills I've learned from art are cutting, creative writing, and following directions. The art has given me confidence. Those are the reasons why we need art. I thank you for listening and I hope you will help our school get the money they need so that our students can succeed in schools and in life and in careers. Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 (Applause.)
My name is Roxy Barnaby and I'm the Associate Education Director at Public Citizens for Children and Youth, PCCY.
Oh, I'm so sorry. (Witness approached podium.) MISS MITCHELL: Hello. My name is Khandace Mitchell and I'm a student at the Workshop School. I'm here today to testify about Bill 150158 -- I'm sorry; 15018 (sic). Cursive writing is important Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 and a way that I can express myself in writing. In writing you have a chance to express yourself, and being able to write in cursive gives you an interesting and intriguing opportunity to write. But theatre has played a bigger role in helping me learn to express myself. This year in my school we did a play project that 9th grade students produced and wrote it. Some of us acted, some of us made costumes or the set, some of us made music, and some of us were a part of the arts administration team. The play project was the best thing I ever did this year. It gave me a chance to do something I loved and work together with the whole 9th grade, and I feel proud of my work. On the day we performed, I was so nervous, but also excited, and when I heard the audience cheer, it gave me confidence and courage. That's why we need to fund the arts in schools, because every student deserves to have the kind Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 of experience I had. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you. Sorry about that earlier. My name is Roxy Barnaby and I'm the Associate Education Director at Public Citizens for Children and Youth, PCCY. I'm here to testify about Bill No. 150518 today, a bill calling for the School District of Philadelphia to mandate cursive writing in the curriculum. I not only work in the City on behalf of our children, but I am also a Philadelphia resident and my husband was born and raised here. His father was a public school teacher in the District at Cook, then Germantown High, and his mother worked as a school nurse at Beeber, then at Roosevelt for many years. So for both my own family and all Philadelphia families, I want to see the Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 City succeed. Over the past few months, I've interviewed 18 Philadelphia comprehensive high school principals. In one school I visited, while I was there parts of the cafeteria ceiling collapsed under the weight of torrential rain and about a thousand students had to be rerouted to the auditorium for lunch without any staffing help. In another building, entire floors were shut down because schools were built for many more students decades ago. The principal told me that because there are not enough adults in the building, walking around these abandoned areas, students often go there instead of going to class. City Council has come through for the School District in past years, but we can't let those investments stop now. The School District of Philadelphia has requested $105 million from the City for next school year. This investment, Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 coupled with the proposed $160 million from the State, would give our students the basics like school counselors, access to school libraries, and current textbooks. Over the past year, PCCY has taken hundreds of concerned citizens to Harrisburg from all over the region. In 2014, we went to Harrisburg on October 6th, October 16th, November 18th. In 2015, we've gone on January 21st, February 4th, April 4th, April 22nd, June 2nd, and we've also scheduled bus trips for June 23rd and June 30th. We've gotten 2,000 voters from Southeastern Pennsylvania to support the fair funding formula. We've gone on 80 one-on-one visits to build support for a fair funding formula and have driven 2,000 miles across the suburbs outside Philadelphia over the last year. We've trained 700 people on how to advocate for fair funding. Still, we are asking you to Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 hold up your end of the bargain and pass revenues for the $105 million for our students. We assure you that we will continue to hold our State elected officials accountable. Thank you. (Applause.)
Hi. My name is Melanie Newport. I'm a resident of Point Breeze and a Ph.D. candidate at Temple University. I study jail policy history. I was here to testify on Bill 150406, which I understand is not being voted on today, but I just wanted to weigh in. I find it repugnant that we house anyone, particularly those who are presumed innocent, in buildings constructed decades before architects had Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 even figured out how to build safe and secure jails. We should be ashamed that we do not house our citizens in spaces that reflect the dignity and integrity of our criminal justice process. That said, I think moving toward purchasing land for new jails is extremely wrongheaded at this time. We should only build jails as a last resort, only after we've exhausted all of our alternatives. The best way to avoid building a new jail is to reduce our jail population. Philadelphia Prisons has made great strides on that in moving towards developing a plan through their receipt of the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge Grant. In getting this grant, Philadelphia should be at the beginning of a lengthy evaluation of our pretrial incarceration policies. Given that we are in the midst of developing this plan, I think that purchasing land for a new jail before we Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 have reevaluated our bail practices, our pretrial services, and the use of tools like release on recognizance is extremely wrongheaded. Thank you. (Applause.)
Reginald Carter, commenting on 150406. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, Councilmembers and citizens of Philadelphia and whomever else. I wrote something that I'll read to you. It's pretty brief. Good afternoon, everyone here. I thank City Council for allowing us to speak on this issue. The continued building of prisons across America is a clear indication of the desire to maintain a deadly status quo that is based on race and class struggle. A few months ago I Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 became involved with the Philadelphia Black Political Summit Coalition. I suggested that we adopted -- I suggested and we adopted to do a workshop on criminal justice. As a young man growing up in Philadelphia, I knew what the school-to-prison pipeline meant on a personal basis. I will say that the social, economic, political, and racial injustices that caused me to fail in public school and be sent to Glen Mills, which was a youth penitentiary in the late '60s, propelled me into the deeper level of gang activity upon my release, which led to almost 11 years of incarceration. The same type of authority that led to my being incarcerated is built into a thinking process of anyone who wants to build a prison to address derivative acts of self-destruction and planned injustices while not considering viable alternatives even as we dismantle the current system. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 I read in the newspaper that Judge Kevin Dougherty recently asked for additional funding to purchase over 300 GPS devices that could be used in place of imprisoning people. Why would he want such a small amount of devices when the same could be used as one alternative to a burdensome taxpayer expense of locking someone up? Racial profiling and massive arrests, along with overcharging, leads to overcrowded prisons. Now add poor legal defense and Draconian judicial policy and we get what we have today, a frenzy of exploitation controlled by corporate and union interests. Recently, the Philadelphia Prison System received a MacArthur Grant to look at ways to reduce prison population and recidivism. Imagine that. A union corporate-controlled entity cutting its own throat. We cannot allow those who have gotten fat pockets to continue to dictate policy and shape an Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 oppressive narrative that does not transform us out of our current dilemma. With a new Mayor and new faces coming to City Council, we have an opportunity to reshape the reality of mass incarceration in Philadelphia by setting forth a new wave of policies that are achieved by hard work and cooperation that will make accountability a reality rather than a continued exercise in rhetoric. Do not build that prison. When the media policy change can see the release of thousands of people back into our communities with a new view of oversight and accountability, we cannot create more criminal justice -- hold up a second here. We can create a more just criminal justice system and safer streets. Reggie Abdullah. Thank you.
Karen Lee, Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 commenting on 150406. (Witness approached podium.)
My name is Karen Lee. I'm a member of the Human Rights Coalition and I'm also a member of Decarcerate PA. An active member of Decarcerate PA and a relentless resolve to not have any new jails built, I'd like to read the following: On May 11th, City Council's Committee on Public Property voted to approve $7.2 million to purchase land for the construction of a new county jail. Decarcerate PA opposes this proposed expansion of the Philadelphia Prison System. We believe City Council should work aggressively to decrease the number of people held in Philadelphia's county jail and invest in our underfunded school system instead of spending millions of Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 dollars to build new jail cells. We are calling on you to vote no on Bill No. 150406 and take a stand against mass incarceration. We believe the House of Correction can and should be closed, but instead of building a replacement jail, the City must address the massive number of people currently incarcerated in the Philadelphia Prison System. About 80 percent of the 8,000-plus adults and children currently held in Philadelphia prisons are being held pretrial. The overwhelming majority of people are there simply because they cannot afford to post bail while they await trial. If City Council truly cares about the well-being of people in the House of Correction, you should reform Philadelphia's broken bail process. Challenge rapid overcharging in the DA's office. Address the excruciatingly slow pace of a court system that allows people to sit for years awaiting trial, and end Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 the policies of racial profiling, brutality, and stop and frisk that disproportionately funnels poor people and people of color into the City's jails. Decarcerate PA and our partner organizations would be happy to meet with you to discuss how City Council can help make these reforms a reality. Former Councilman Jim Kenney, who won the Mayoral primary and will likely be our next Mayor, has said publicly that he will not move forward with the construction of a new jail. It does not make sense for City Council to spend over $7 million to buy land for a jail that likely will not and should not be built. Philadelphians, we don't want this. We can't afford a new jail. Make investment in our schools, housing, jobs, reentry resources, and other institutions that make our communities healthier, safer, and stronger. We call on City Council to vote no on this bill and to Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 take real action to reduce our City's jail population and close down the House of Correction without devoting hundreds of millions more to expand and perpetuate a failed system. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your testimony, ma'am. (Applause.)
-- founder of Tracking Change, an online platform to promote data-driven models of accountability and transparency. I came prepared today to speak about Bill No. 150406, but in the interest of time, I'll post my comments Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 to Twitter. I want to thank President Clarke for making it clear that the property at 7777 State Road would be acquired, quote, for the purpose of building a prison, end quote. Thank you.
The following individuals will be called and permitted to speak in this order, beginning with Ann Schwartzman, Deborah Torey Moore, Peter McDermott, Toni Damon, Octavius Barnes, Daniel Kurtz. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon. For the record, my name is Deborah Toni Moore and I'm a parent here in the City of Philadelphia in the public and the charter schools. I'm here today because I need you to vote no to this bill to purchase land for a prison. Even though Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 this bill is being cleverly disguised, not to mention that it's being used for prisons, it has been publicly stated and we are fully aware of what its use is intended for. As I looked at what was transpiring, there's a few things that really stood out to me. The fact that this land had been put up for a sale, a one-time bid of $100 secured the bid. It then paid taxes of 208,000 on an assessed value of 7 million and then it went to public -- the Public Property to be approved to purchase for this prison. That's very disturbing to me. Because that is -- if you look into that, I would really like to have more information about how all this stuff transpired and who is going to stand to profit from this sale. The second thing that really stood out for me as I looked at this bill being offered is that there are so many people who are every day going into Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 schools that represent our young people, our young children and their hard-working teachers and their volunteer parents, going into schools that have deplorable conditions. They cannot -- our young people cannot even sanitize their hands because the plumbing is inadequate to turn on hot water. Day cares, licensed day cares, would be shut down if they didn't meet the requirement. Why aren't we doing more to look into securing the facilities that our young people are being educated in? The other thing that really stuck out in my mind is that we're using this money to project 1,500 prisoners that are in prison. You're going to look at spending $7 million. Take another, at the top end, 500 million to build and make this beautiful state-of-the-art prison for 1,500 prisoners who are there for pretrial. The majority are there for pretrial. They haven't even been convicted. Why would you invest $338,000 Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 per person for this prison? It is ridiculous. And, lastly, as I see I have 30 seconds left, I need to tell you that this is impacting families dramatically. How I know that number is true, because my own young sons were picked up in front of our home because they were accused falsely. They end up being set up. And if I didn't have the support that I needed and if I didn't have to make the choice to take my mortgage money to pay for their bail and an attorney, they too would be incarcerated and my high school son would not be the D1 athlete, scholar athlete, that's being recruited by numerous colleges around this nation, not just for his athletic prowess but because he is prepared to be successful in these institutions. Vote no on this bill. It hurts too many families.
Thank you for your testimony. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 (Applause.)
Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Toni Damon, proud principal at Murrell Dobbins CTE High School.
I was here last week and I also noted that also known to be the secretary, the social worker, the counselor, the janitor, the lunch aide, so many other things, and I was prepared to talk about the bill with the prison purchase, but I can link this also, my conversation, to cursive writing, because I am one who prepares students for college and career, and at the end of that journey, my young people need to know how to sign a check. So I do certainly believe that children need to learn cursive writing, but I also want you to know that as one who has to oversee curriculum, I have to make sure that my teachers are able to teach students in a building in which students Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 can learn. Last year alone, I had to relocate so many classrooms to the auditorium because the heat was just not working, students walking around in coats and still cold, teachers calling in the next day because their bones are cold. I myself, just cold and sick. It's just not an environment in which our students need to be educated in. I do ask you that you consider not only purchasing land for prison, but that you consider the schools in which our children are being educated in. If we're going to be the leaders of this nation, of this world, then our children need to have the latest technologies. I said last time I was here that we were slated for a renovation, and every year that passed, it appears that we're losing a million dollars to another building that may need money. Dobbins should not have to lose money when we are trying to prepare children for careers when other schools are getting it and Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 we're thinking about building prisons. I brought with me the young man that I spoke about last time, Octavius, but because he's not allowed to speak about what he wanted to speak about, he chose not to speak. But I did want to recognize Octavius and thank him for taking time out of his schedule to come here while he was home on summer break from Howard University. Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. (Witness approached podium.) MR. McDERMOTT: Good morning.
Good afternoon. MR. McDERMOTT: I'm here to talk about --
State your name for the record. MR. McDERMOTT: Peter McDermott. I was here on May 21st and Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 I'm back again. Since that time, I've had a discussion with my Councilman, Robert Henon, and I actually want to recognize him and commend him for holding the bill again and also for scheduling a telephone town hall, which I hope will also be followed up with other town halls. I want to recognize him and I want to applaud his efforts for that. Today I want to talk about specifically 7777-R State Road, the actual site. Last time I was here I talked about 19136 and all the prisons we have in that neighborhood. 7777-R State Road we talk about as a land purchase. It's also a waterfront property. This waterfront property has waterfront structures. There are 17 steel sheet pile cellular structures along the out-shore face, formerly known as Berth 1 and Berth 2. They're approximately 60 and a half feet in diameter. Down river corner, you have Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 another cell, Cell 18, and then along the basin, formerly known as Berth 3 and Berth 4, you have 17 more cellular structures. We do not know the conditions of these, but should we? On May 18th in the year 2000, a disaster happened on the Delaware River. Pier 34 South, three young women were killed. Since that and because of that, Council and the City of Philadelphia enacted Title 4, Building Construction and Occupancy Code, Subsection PM-304, Exterior Structures, specifically Subsection 304.9, which is known as Piers and Other Waterfront Structures. There was a responsibility of property owners to make sure these structures are safe and maintained and that the public is safe. That did not happen in 2010 when a young man was killed at this facility. He drowned. Do we know the integrity of these structures? I don't know that. But what I do know is that some of the acreage of this plot are actually in the Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 Delaware River. And we're not going to build in the Delaware River if we're going to build a prison. In addition to that, you have a bulkhead line which is set by the Secretary of War, lands out-shore that need a submerged lands license, which was issued in 2007, which since went into sunset because that development didn't happen. Pennsylvania also has a code, Title 25, Environmental Protection. What they state is that when you want to do something in those lands, 105.32, Projects - Proper Purpose. I'm going to list some of these proper purposes. Improving navigation or public transportation. Not there. I'm going to be cut off here, so what I'm going to tell you is, a correctional facility is not listed under Proper Purpose.
Thank you. (Applause.) Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, President Clarke and esteemed members of Council. My name is Daniel Kurtz. I am the proud principal of the Kearny School at 6th and Fairmount. I'd like to speak briefly about the impact of mandating cursive writing in the true landscape of my school as it stands. Every morning a 2nd grader meets me in the schoolyard five minutes early. When he arrives, he reminds me that, I am going to be a doctor and I must get my good education. He offers to share his breakfast because, as he says, In nutrition class I learned that the brain needs food to be its best and we need our best brain every day. When the bell rings, he gives me a fist bump and says thank you and then hurries to class. He trusts us to deliver on the promise of his good Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 education. He believes in the adults at Kearny, that we will provide what he needs to achieve his hopes and dreams and the future he deserves. At the same time, the Kearny team arrives, determined to do what is ever in our possible control not to betray his trust, and yet despite all best efforts, the reality of this ongoing budget crisis is that we betray his trust every day. When a school is only staffed with enough teachers to stand in front of a crowded class and does not have the resources to allow time for collaboration, focus conversation about individual students and their needs, we abuse his trust. When basic materials and resources are not available to support daily instruction, not to mention enrichment or important safety nets, we abuse his trust. When 25 percent of a student Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 population demonstrates serious concerns associated with poverty and a life of trauma, when dozens of children under the age of 8 require partial hospitalization for behavioral and mental health issues during the course of a school year, but a counselor is only available two days a week, barely enough time to manage the process of coordinating with behavioral and mental health agencies for these students and not nearly enough to provide any other critical counseling support to the remainder of the students, we abuse his trust. When the principal cannot provide instruction leadership to ensure teachers continue to grow and improve because he has to leave an observation to check on a student having an asthma attack or a diabetic issue or just to administer daily medication because the nurse is only in the building two days a week, we abuse his trust. This is a conversation about Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 numbers, billion dollar budgets, hundreds of millions of dollars asked. But those numbers have a reality in my school. I am provided ultimately $35 per day per child, less than the cost of tutoring for one hour in an outside source and as much as many people spend for lunch and parking to work daily in Center City. It is not enough to honor the trust of an 8-year-old determined despite all odds to be a doctor. I am here today to ask City Council to live up to a child's trust. I ask the City of Philadelphia and the people to support City Council in making this hard choice and all our children. Thank you. (Applause.)
David Lauer, Jessica Brown, Lisa Kaplan, Paul Spina, and Marvin Robinson. (Witness approached podium.) Stated Meeting June 4, 2015
Good afternoon. My name is David Laver and I'm the proud principal of Bayard Taylor Elementary School in the Hunting Park section of Philadelphia and I'm here today to ask for City Council's support to meet the needs of the students of Philadelphia, to meet the requests from Superintendent Dr. Hite for $105 million.
So I want to thank Councilwoman Blackwell for bringing that issue to the table for City Council. Any Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 time that we're speaking about education with our students, it's very important. I do agree with Councilor Blackwell about the importance of cursive education. You need to be able to sign your own name. And I just want to be able to put that in the context of the greater academic program at our schools for reading, writing, math, arts, the sciences, athletics, and in order for our students to truly be ready to take on the world in college and career, they need to be able to write in cursive writing and they need to be able to have all those other skills that I just mentioned. My colleague right before me talked about all the needs at his schools. I won't repeat everything he said, but trust me when I tell you that all of the schools in Philadelphia share the same issues that he's working so hard to overcome. So I just, again, I ask City Council to take the time to have very Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 difficult conversations, to have the courage to make some very difficult decisions in the weeks ahead, and to do what's right for the children of Philadelphia. Thank you. (Applause.)
Good afternoon. My name is Jessica Brown. I'm the principal of Masterman and I'm here to speak about 150518, cursive writing. First of all, I want to thank Council for last year for supporting the funding and passing taxes. We really do appreciate that. However, we still do not have the full complement of teachers, nurses, counselors, support staff, resources that we need. We need sustainable funding, and $105 million Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 would allow for one extra teacher in each building. One hundred and fifty students take art at my school out of 1,200. It would allow for math --
-- of staff, it's a challenge to have a discussion about cursive writing when we don't have the appropriate amount of people in our schools. (Applause.)
We need City and State funding. At the end of the day, we need safe schools and we need quality education. Every minute that is spent on coping with school funding is time that we could spend talking and doing and implementing great instructional Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 practices. We have to advocate for 105 million. If we had quality schools, we wouldn't need to build prisons. (Applause.)
Thank you for your testimony. (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon. Hi. My name is Lisa Kaplan, the proud principal of Andrew Jackson School in South Philly. I am here with several of my principal colleagues today to speak on the cursive writing bill. I forget the number. I apologize. I want to thank, first of all, all members of Council and you, Chairman, on supporting the schools. We have had several conversations with members this morning, and we are talking today about mandating curriculum in schools. Well, as educators we are all for mandating all types of curriculum, but we must fund those mandates and fund Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 them fully so that our children are -(Applause.)
-- able to access cursive writing and other services that right now we're just getting by. So I got an A in penmanship. I'm going to say cursive writing is something I love. So thank you, Councilwoman, for reminding us that these skills are important, but there's so many other things that are important for kids. I tell my students every day that education is the only thing that someone cannot take away from you, that it is a great equalizer, and that it is also the most powerful tool in the tool shed. So we must educate our students, and we appreciate and want to thank Council for at least keeping an open mind to when we put funding for mandates for curriculum into our schools and we have great ideas, we need to come up with the capital to make sure that our Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 students are doing better than just status quo, that we are all proud and happy to say that our students attend Philadelphia public schools and that it is something that is important to this City. Thank you.
Thank you. (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
Good afternoon, City Council. My name is Paul Spina and I am the proud principal of the Ziegler Elementary School located in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, and I come here on -- and I'm speaking on behalf of the bill which identifies cursive writing in schools, and I am grateful and I appreciate your support Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 with that bill, and once that bill is passed, we'll do our best to make sure that it happens. But I'm here on behalf of not just the teachers of the Ziegler School, on behalf of the students and the Ziegler School community, because while I'm not at the school today, there's a big part of that school missing, and that's because I incorporate most of happens in that school. I am the school nurse, I am the school counselor, I am the dean of students. So I have to go back today and I have to let my school community know where I was and what I was doing on their behalf. I need you guys to help me. I need you guys to help me to go back there today and give them positive news, give them something to be happy about over the summer break. I need your support. I need you to keep Philadelphia schools and the students of the Philadelphia School District as a top priority in your mind Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 and get us that $105 million that we need to support that community, to support all the communities in the Philadelphia School District, and certainly all the kids in the Philadelphia School District. I appreciate your time. Thank you very much, Council President.
Thank you. (Applause.) (Witness approached podium.)
My name is Marvin Robinson. I'm only speaking on this real short because I just want to let everybody know, especially those that's watching TV, those on the radio, this is very unacceptable, one, to bring a prison where we know the schools is failing and closing. And all y'all Councils, I know, y'all know and can see Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 from Washington to Harrisburg, they know that when you build a prison, that's the biggest industry making money in America. Listen to these words: That's the biggest making money in America is building prisons. So I'm asking all these Councils right here, don't even think about bringing this to the table. Let's think about bringing books back to schools. Let's think about bringing the teachers back to schools. Let's think about bringing the nurses to schools. Let's think about bringing these things that we really need in the City of Philadelphia for our students and for our kids. This is very unacceptable, because I know that prisons ain't nothing but a trillion -- not a billion-dollar industry, but a trillion-dollar industry that America makes money off of, and a lot of the legislators are part of that. Thank you. (Applause.) Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
There are no other speakers on the public comment list, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. We will now move to our Calendar. Mr. Decker, can you please read the title of 150517.
A resolution authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, without consideration, deeds conveying conditional fee simple title to certain City-owned lots or pieces of ground with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate in the Twenty-Seventh Ward of the City of Philadelphia.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.) Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it. Resolution 150517 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 150518.
A resolution calling for the School District of Philadelphia to mandate cursive writing in the Philadelphia School District Curriculum.
The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 150518 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 150519.
A resolution confirming the reappointment of Barbara Adams as a member of the Board of the Philadelphia Energy Authority, to serve in the term ending January 1, 2020.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Resolution 150519 is adopted. Mr. Decker, 150266.
An ordinance amending Chapter 9-3900 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Property Licenses and Owner Accountability," by adding definitions and providing for the transition from housing inspection licenses to rental licenses in 2015.
The Chair recognizes Councilman -- I'm sorry. This is a bill. This bill has been heard on two separate days. The question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll.
Aye. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of members present voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the title of 150275.
An ordinance amending Subcode "A" of Title 4 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "The Philadelphia Administrative Code," by Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING amending Chapter 3 entitled "Permits"; amending Chapter 6 entitled "Fines"; and amending Chapter 9 entitled "Fees."
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Bill No. 150275 be removed from the Calendar and recommitted to the Committee of Licenses and Inspections. (Duly seconded.)
Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that Bill No. 150275 be removed from the Calendar, that it be recommitted to the Committee of License and Inspection. All those in favor of the motion will signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING ayes have it, and Bill No. 150275 will be recommitted to the Committee on License and Inspection. Mr. Decker, 150276.
An ordinance amending Chapter 10-700 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Refuse and Littering," by amending Section 10-701 entitled "Definitions," amending the definition of debris, and by amending Section 10-710, entitled "Dumping of Debris and Short Dumping," by providing that debris generated from construction activity be placed in construction dumpsters.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move that Bill No. 150276 be removed from the Calendar and recommitted to the Committee of Licenses and Inspections. (Duly seconded.)
Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING Thank you. It has been moved and properly seconded that Bill No. 150276 be removed from the Calendar and that it be recommitted to the Committee of License Inspection. All those in favor of the motion say aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and Bill No. 150276 will be recommitted to the Committee of License and Inspection. Thank you very much. Mr. Decker, do you have any additional resolutions?
A resolution calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass Senate Bill 566 and House Bill 792 and for the Governor to sign the final legislation to expand the Pennsylvania Housing and Affordability Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING and Rehabilitation Enhancement Program to all counties in Pennsylvania, introduced by Councilwoman Blackwell.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Recognizing and Congratulating the Philadelphia Coalition of Labor Union Women on their 40th Anniversary, introduced by Councilman Greenlee on Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING behalf of Councilwoman Reynolds Brown.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution honoring and recognizing the Strawberry Mansion Faith Based Coalition for their dedication to improving the quality of life in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of North Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Greenlee on Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING behalf of Council President Clarke.
The Chair again recognizes Councilman Greenlee.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution recognizing June 2015 as Re-Entry Month in the City of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Johnson.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
Council President, I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
And a resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Public Safety and Public Health and Human Services to conduct joint public hearings to investigate funding opportunities for the research towards the cure of Sickle Cell disease underway at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, introduced by Councilman Jones.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Jones. Stated Meeting June 4, 2015 6/4/15 - STATED - 2ND READING
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for its adoption. (Duly seconded.)
It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor? (Aye.)
The ayes have it, and that resolution is adopted.
And a resolution Designating and Recognizing June 20th as Community Garden Day in Philadelphia, introduced by Councilwoman Bass.
Thank you, Mr. President. I move for the adoption of the resolution. (Duly seconded.)